The Innovator's Dilemma

The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton M. Christensen explains why even the most successful companies can fail when faced with disruptive innovation. Christensen shows that businesses often focus too much on improving existing products for their current customers, which blinds them to emerging technologies that start small but eventually transform entire industries. Using case studies from companies like IBM and DEC, he illustrates how disruptive innovations—initially seen as inferior—can rapidly evolve and overtake established markets. The book argues that to survive and thrive, leaders must be willing to challenge their own assumptions, embrace change early, and create space for disruptive experimentation within their organizations.

Clayton M. Christensen is an American academic, business consultant, and religious teacher who currently serves as the Kim B. Clark, Professor of Business Administration at The Harvard Business School. His known for his theory of “disruptive innovation” introduced in his book The Innovator’s Dilemma, one of the most influential business ideas of the early 21st century. He is the co-founder of Rose Park Advisors, a venture capital firm, and Insight, a management consulting and investment firm focused on innovation.

He graduated from Brighman Young University. There he took two years leave of absence to work as a missionary for the LDS Church. He won a Rhodes Scholarship and spent two years studying applied econometrics at the University of Oxford. He graduated Oxford with an MPhil. He pursued an M.B.A at Harvard University, which he earned with high distinction.

He Is the best selling author of ten books. In 2011 and 2013, he was named the world’s most influential business thinker by Thinkers50.